If you’re feeling anxious about returning to a world outside of your home, you are not alone. Humans are highly adaptable and we have been adjusting to life inside our homes for over a year now. A year is a relatively long time for adjusting and enough time for things to feel like they’ve really taken root. We’ve found things we like with the life-at-home set up and things we do not like. Being faced with the thought of adjusting to a different way of living AGAIN can feel overwhelming. If you’re open to it, let’s see if trying out a suggestion here can help bring that feeling down a couple of notches.
Bring awareness to the thoughts you’re having that are leading you to feel overwhelmed.
There are some common beliefs that can contribute to this feeling right now. “What will it be like?” “I don’t know how to have normal interactions with people anymore, I’ll be so awkward.” “I will be forced to give up the things I’ve enjoyed about staying at home.” Many of the thoughts we’re having right now are predicting the worst case scenario and not taking into account that everyone will also be transitioning just like we are. Take a minute and write down all the thoughts you’re having about transitioning to life outside your home. What do you notice about these thoughts? Are they trying to predict the future? Are they mostly questions? Are they highlighting things you feel insecure about? Do we know that they are actually true? Pick one thought to change to a thought that is accurate and compassionate. Practice that thought whenever you catch yourself feeling anxious about transitioning.
Focus on the skills you have that helped you transition to life at home a year ago.
Take a second, close your eyes, and imagine being back in March 2020 when stay-at-home orders were given. Did you feel scared then? What helped you get through that time? One skill you may have used was focusing on a value you have. Many people found themselves focusing on how staying at home would help them with a goal that was meaningful to them, like feeling safe or helping them feel like they were taking care of their community. Some people talked to friends about their fears. Some people related to memes on social media as a way of getting through. Whatever skill you used back then, how can you use that skill now?
Break down what you’re feeling ready for and what you’re not.
You may feel ready for a get-together in your neighbor’s backyard but not traveling. You may feel ready for traveling but not being back in the office. You may feel ready for being back in the office but not for wearing “work clothes!” Whatever your lists look like, try to accept them for what they are and not force any “shoulds” or judgments on them. When it’s time, start with the parts you’re ready for and come back to the other parts later. Allow this time to be a “transition” and not a “return to normal.”
Finally, try giving yourself permission to be “weird.”
Feel free to make decisions you don’t see your friends doing or that you wouldn’t have done pre-covid. We are usually impacted in some way by major life events. What have you noticed about how this experience has changed you? What’s something that you’d like to “keep” from this stay-at-home time that may seem weird to you or others?